The Gift Of A Girl
by BurningDecks
Summary: He's got a wife, a son and a baby on the way. He's got a job, a house and a history. They don't have much but they've got each other and that's enough. An insight in to what Daryl's life could have been like before the apocalypse if things had been different. Rated M to take in to account our love birds getting a little hands on. Just to be safe. DarylxOC


**He's got a wife, a son and a baby on the way. He's got a job, a house and a history. They don't have much but they've got each other and that's enough. ****An insight in to what Daryl's life could have been like before the apocalypse if things had been different. ****Rated M to take in to account our love birds getting a little hands on. Just to be safe. ****DarylxOC**

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Daryl grunted and wiped his brow with a filthy, oily hand. The sweat layer building on his skin made the engine oil feel slick against his forehead, he could feel the blackness come off his hands on to his head as he stared in to his engine. It was 84 degrees last time he checked and still rising. Daryl had stripped himself of his shirt because it had become so god damn sticky and clung to his body, living all the way out here meant there were not many by passers, having his skin on show wasn't so bad. The nasty, aggressive marring wasn't going to be seen.

The man heard the front door of his house open and the floorboard of the porch creak, it was a gentle sound he recognised followed by another slightly louder creak. Two people had stepped out the door on to his wooden porch probably in search of him. "Daddy?" A high-pitched voice squeaked from beside him, Daryl threw the tool in his hand to the floor and turned to his second favourite voice. "Momma said I should give you this." The boy held a cold glass of lemonade full of tiny frozen ice shards. Daryl gratefully took the glass from his son's hand and took a sip. Home made. He rolled the glass against his head and then any expanse of skin he could find, the lemonade lasted for a few seconds before it was gone and the still cool glass was empty.

"Thanks buddy, you 'n' Momma make that?" He asked carefully balancing his glass on the car's engine, he crouched down to look his son in the eye. Even at birth people said the little boy was the spitting image of his father, maybe he was but he had his mother's loving personality. The blonde looked away from his father's filthy hands and in to his eyes, the boy may have looked like his mother but he had his father's cerulean blue eyes. There was something not quite right in his eyes though, they didn't hold his usual youthful sparkle, they were flat and a little cold. That was something else he inherited from his father. "Milo?" He was usually loving but since early that morning Milo had been unhappy, there was no running to hug him or kisses on the end of his nose. Nothing.

The little boy nodded in response before glancing back at his mother. "Momma says you gotta take a bath 'fore dinner." Milo lingered in front of his father like he had something else to say or he was expecting the man to say something but when nothing happened the five-year old walked around his father, stepped up on to the bumper of the truck and snatched the glass away before practically storming away in to the house. Daryl stood up sporting a frown, he didn't understand why his son was acting quite so frosty. He knew Milo was a little upset because Daryl had promised to take him to the park that morning, but then the truck broke down and ended up consuming all of his time, meaning Milo's mother had to take him to the park instead.

Milo loved his mother but it wasn't often he got to spent more than a few hours a week with his father, he had been looking forward to this day for weeks, admittedly Daryl had been looking forward to it too. He worked 12 hours a day, sometimes more, six days a week just trying to keep food on the table, he would spend another hour and a half travelling back and forth. He barely managed to pay the bills every month, keep the truck going and maintain the house. Daryl had one full day a week to take care of every thing including himself, that barely left time for his wife and child, he hated that. Daryl hated the fact the only two people he cared about had to lose out on his attention because he was always so busy or just too exhausted to do anything. Milo took that pretty damn hard.

Daryl sighed in defeat and chewed his bottom lip as he watched his wife step out from under the shaded porch in to the light, the woman's arms wrapped around his neck and pulled the man close, the man was taking his son's attitude to heart. Daryl carefully wound his arms around the woman's waist trying not to smear oil over her pretty little sun dress. It was the one she knew he liked, pale yellow covered in daisies and usually had a white ribbon tied around the waist but she had to stop wearing that, he was more concerned because she'd purposely put it on that morning. She was trying to get his attention just like Milo was.

"He's just upset you couldn't come with us, he'll get over it." Ashley whispered in Daryl's ear knowing he was a little upset by Milo's actions, he was hurt because his son was mad at him and he was hurt because he felt guilty, guilty for not coming through with his promise and making his son mad. "Think the kids at the park were giving him a hard time again."

Daryl pulled back from his wife slightly in surprise, why hadn't she mentioned this as soon as they got home? "Why, what for?" The kids who played at the local park were all between 6 and 12, why'd they have to bother a 5-year-old? Why did it have to be like this again?

Ashley reached a hand up and used her fingers to brush away his frown. "Because he'd rather play with the frogs in the pond then play with them." That was part of his personality that Daryl wished he had never passed down to his son, the loner side. Milo preferred to play by himself then with other kids, he liked to investigate the woods rather than play a game like soccer. Daryl never played soccer as a kid, but that wasn't his choice. The other kids never let him.

_"Look out!" He heard one kid yell as soon as he arrived, he was just looking for somewhere isolated. "Here comes Dirty Daryl Dixon!" The same kid yelled running a few paces in the opposite direction. "Wouldn't wanna catch nothin' from 'im!" __Daryl heard another kid yell about fleas. Ticks. Lice. He thought girls were supposed to be nice, sugar and spice and angels wings, looked like that was just shit too._

The man shook his head and groaned looking for a solution to this new problem. Daryl knew what it was like to have other kids pick on him for liking solitude. He found himself rubbing his chin as he racked his brain, not really caring about the oil and dirt he was smudging over his face. He was used to being filthy by now, dirt was like a second skin, always had been.

Nothing came to him though. He once heard the phrase 'lighting never struck the same place twice' and that seemed to count here, the only reason the kids stopped picking on him when he was younger was because he was rescued by the prettiest girl in the neighbourhood. And he punched the 'ringleader' in the jaw for making a quip about his momma. Milo wasn't going to get that, he didn't have Daryl's dark streak of violence, not yet anyway but the could change as he grew up. Hopefully not.

_It had gone on too long. These kids kept laughing in his face ever since he was 7, but he wasn't that young confused kid any more, he was 16 and Merle had taught him a thing or two on how to fight. As soon as the kid opened his mouth Daryl stalked up to him and punched him square in the jaw, he'd had enough. He would have carried on beating the crap out of the kid if it hadn't been for the soft hand that touched his shoulder. His fist instantly unclenched because he knew that hand didn't belong to no guy, and he wasn't prepared to start beating on no girls. The anger that flooded his veins suddenly vanished and left a hollow, calm feeling in his body._

_Daryl slowly rose to his feet and watched the other kids scramble away, leaving him stood in the park with bloody knuckles and a girl. He turned to her and felt all the air leave his lungs, that was Ashley Parks, the most beautiful girl in the whole of Georgia. Long wavy blonde hair, sparkling apple green eyes, perfect soft face. Supermodel legs with a sun-kissed tan, she was gorgeous. Daryl nearly forgot to take a breath when she took his hand and looked over his knuckles, she didn't seem repulsed by the blood or the thick layer of grime that covered his skin, Ashley showed only total indifference. _

_Ashley just let go of his hand and grabbed the other, linking her slender baby finger with his and walking him towards the park exit. Neither of the pair said anything to each other as she led him away, holding on to his finger as they stopped at the front gate of a house. Her house. Ashley turned around to Daryl and smiled before pulling him to the open front door, he wanted to refuse as she pulled him in, he knew he shouldn't just follow pretty girls in to strange houses but there was something about her stopping him. Daryl felt awkward and uncomfortable in Ashley's clean house obviously filled with love. He was just stood there in the torn cargo pants he'd been wearing for three days, a dirty black hoodie and dirt and mud caked all over his skin._

_He'd been out hunting that morning when he got home Merle was high, Daddy was drunk and Momma was in bed. So he sneaked in to drop off his crossbow and ran out before any one knew he was there, he didn't have time to shower or change like he wanted. Ashley led him straight upstairs to her room and made him sit down on her bed, he stared directly at the floor as she fussed about around him, he only looked up when she dropped a bowl of water and a rag at his feet before walking out of the room to let him get on with it._

_When Ashley walked back in the room she was surprised to see Daryl just sat there, he hadn't moved an inch, staring blankly at the door like he was expecting someone to come in. Ashley shook her head and carefully moved forward and wordlessly took a hold of his hoodie, she gently peeled it off over his head to reveal a sleeveless shirt, the shirt was in a worse state then he was. Slowly the girl began to unbutton the frayed shirt starting from the top down, making sure she gave him enough time between buttons to stop her if he wanted to. But Daryl didn't move, it was like he was frozen in place and completely dormant and as soon as she pulled the grimy shirt from his skin she knew why._

"They should jus' fuckin' leave 'im be, he ain't hurtin' nobody." Daryl said shaking the memory off and looking back at the truck, he didn't feel like working on it any more but he had to get the damn thing up and running again. Spending all those hours directly under the sun was making his head hurt and he was pretty sure his skin was burning by the feel of things. Even though he wanted to just stay where he was with his wife in his arms Daryl slowly pulled away, still being extra careful not to get anything on her dress.

She didn't look like the girl he met when he was 16 any more, she had grown up. She moved on from being pretty to being down right gorgeous with a bad ass attitude to boot. Ashley was the kind of woman who appreciated exactly how hard her husband worked to take care of them, so she treated him like a king, but if he ever put a foot out of line she'd set him straight with no qualms. That was exactly what he needed most of his life, someone to set him straight when he was in the wrong, someone to tell him he needed to chill out or leave. Ashley never molly coddled Daryl, if he needed his shoulders rubbed after a long day at work he'd get it and if wanted a little love she'd be there for him, but at the same time if he ever wanted to be alone and find some peace she'd let him go until he was ready.

_Daryl leaned against the door frame of Ashley's room and stared at his fingers as he locked them together and then untwisted them again, he heard the door on the other side of the hallway slide open a little but he didn't dare look up. Part of him wanted to hide in Ashley's room until she came back upstairs but he couldn't bear to move, he was hoping the two voices would be so engaged in conversation they'd just walk straight down the stairs. Ashley had gone to get the bowl she usually filled with water, said something about her mother moving it from the bathroom._

_But when the female voice halted mid-sentence he knew they'd seen him, nobody said a word at that point, he just stayed frozen on the spot listening for any footsteps closing in on him. Daryl just waited for something, anything to happen. To his surprise the woman left without a word leaving Ashley's older brother stood on the landing a few feet away. It must have been an odd sight for him. To see a dirty, scruffy Hick stood in his baby sister's room caked in mud and dirt and his own blood, covered in bruises with track marks streaking down his cheeks. His shirt had been torn open during a fight with Merle so the scratches, bruises, tattoos and scars had become exposed to the eldest Parks sibling._

_Ashley's daddy had said Daryl was a bad influence on her exposing her to all the fighting, he kept saying Daryl's ink was going to corrupt her and lead her astray. There was no way Daryl was going to corrupt an innocent girl, that was no way to repay someone for actually taking care of him, for cleaning up his wounds. For letting him find sanctuary._

_The elder brother scanned Daryl up and down for a moment trying to make a judgement on the boy he'd heard so much about, but never actually met. By the way he was holding himself he'd been through a lot in his lifetime, not just today, maybe that was what made Hunter decide he was a good kid who needed their help. Hunter stepped back in to his room leaving Daryl alone for a minute before he came back out. Ashley's older brother held out a shirt, a towel and a pair of sunglasses for the other young man, he told him to take a shower and keep the shirt and sunglasses, that way when his parents got home they wouldn't see his scars or his black eye. He was a better brother to Daryl in five minutes then Merle had ever been._

Ashley watched Daryl silently pick up his shirt and use it to wipe his hands somewhere close to clean and then wipe his face, it didn't shift much of the grease and oil but it caught most of the sweat. "Baby, why don't you come on inside for a little while, cool off..." She started as he leaned in to the truck, Daryl groaned as she pressed her chest to his back and wrapped her arms around his middle tightly. Ashley dropped gently kisses on the man's dirty, marred skin hoping to convince him to pay her a little attention for a few minutes. Daryl should have felt excited by those kisses or maybe just happy but instead each one made him feel awful, his woman was feeling lonely, she missed him even though he was right there. He could feel her fingers tracing his tattoos and then move on to his scars, she was trying to entice him, because he knew exactly what she could do with those hands.

_Daryl lay on Ashley's bed in complete silence as she sat straddled over his back, tracing her fingers over his freshly cleaned skin. It had become a regular routine for them, she'd find him sitting on his own in the park and take him home where he'd clean himself up, or she'd clean him up depending on how bad his day had been. But this time instead of letting him put his shirt back on she made him lie down, she wanted to explore his body and take note of every thing like a map. He had a few scars and bruises here and there that she knew were from fighting, whether that was at home or in the park it didn't matter._

_Some of them looked old, like he was just a child when he got them and others looked brand new, like they were just days old. But Ashley never asked where they came from, and for a long time Daryl never told her, they didn't really talk much any way. He was well-built for just 17. Broad shoulders, strong arms, toned stomach. He was used to carrying things, people, along with the weight of the world._

_He felt the girls hands press in to his skin and run up his back, each time avoiding bruises until she felt his muscles relax a little. Ashley worked on the young man's neck and shoulders forcing the knots loose. But he liked it best when she'd run her fingers through his hair, Ashley's fingertips rubbing at Daryl's scalp to push away the tension headache he almost permanently carried with him. The minor relief from the stress was nice._

He sighed unhappily when he felt Ashley's stomach against his lower back, the way her slight protrusion curved against him made his guilt even worse. He didn't even know if they were going to be able to afford another baby, he wanted this baby like crazy, but his income just wasn't going to cut it. Daryl knew since Milo was about three Ashley was aching to have another baby but back then they were even worse off then they were now, they talked about it and agreed it wasn't fair on any body to bring another child in to this world if they couldn't take care of it properly. They kept that up until a few months ago, all it took was one bottle of wine and lack of protection to mess up their plans.

Ashley had been pretty scared when she told him about the baby, she'd seen Daryl fly off the handle about stuff but he'd never aimed it at her before so she didn't know what to expect. Would he be happy about it? Would he make her get rid of their baby? Would he leave her? At first Daryl hadn't been too thrilled, he told her straight up he was a lot more worried than anything else but at the same he was not repulsed by the idea of having another little one in the house, he just didn't want to let any one down. As the weeks slowly started to pass he felt happier about having a baby but money was still tight.

"I wan'ta darlin' but I gotta fix this." He replied pulling her around so she was in front of him, he let his hands caress their little bump as he kissed the back of her neck gently, he didn't expect her to make the noise she did. Daryl felt her arch in to him giving him better access to her neck, he used one hand to sweep her beautiful blonde hair to the opposite shoulder as he rubbed her stomach with the other. "This one makin' ya feel a lil' naughty today, huh?" He whispered in her ear between kisses. Daryl could feel his heart hammering in his chest making his blood flow to all the right places, maybe the truck could wait for a while, his wife was pretty desperate. He knew a desperate wife would do some pretty dirty things to her husband in her time of need.

The woman practically purred in response as she braced herself on the front of the truck and pushed her hips back, Daryl could have collapsed right then and there because of that sensation, he shifted his hands to her hips and pulled her back tighter making them both moan in time under the hot sun. That dress usually stopped around the middle of her thighs but bent over like that was making it rise up. That was the good thing about living this far out in the sticks, their nearest neighbour was two miles away and rarely anybody passed through here, so he could get dirty with his wife outside any time he wanted. Christ, didn't he want to get dirty.

He let his hand snake up her body to graze the side of her breast, he had to be careful, when she was pregnant the first time they got pretty tender. Not to mention swollen and just... mouth-watering. Fuck. She wasn't wearing a bra, how had he not noticed that when she got dressed this morning? What did he do to deserve a woman as sexy as her? He must have been taking too long because Ashley practically growled at him and grabbed his hand positioning it to cup her chest, she was so sensitive just the touch alone was enough to make her knees weak. "Damn it Daryl." She whispered forcing her hips back against him harder. Hormones. Most of the time they were hell, but sometimes they were a gift. "I wish you'd just give it too me."

Daryl forced himself to concentrate on Ashley and not what he was feeling at that time, she was up for just about anything by the look of it but he didn't want to hurt her or the baby, his wife had been feeling lonely so he was going to work on giving her what she needed before he worried about his needs. He took a deep breath and pressed his lips to her shoulder as he palmed her chest making the woman moan whole heartedly and grab at his hair, Daryl let his free hand reach for the bottom of her dress, lifting the material up in a painstakingly slow manner just to tease her. She responded only to pull his hair making him hiss and retaliate by biting her shoulder, he never bit her hard through fear of breaking her petite body but he knew she liked it, she once told him it something about him being a wild animal. He couldn't remember exactly what she said at the time, he'd been a little distracted when she said it.

Ashley was practically gasping for air in his arms as he licked the fast growing hickey on her shoulder and relished the sweet taste of her skin, God this woman was incredible. She'd been using something her Momma bought her, said it would stop Ashley's skin from drying out during the pregnancy, it made her skin super soft and delectable. He held the floral material up and took a peek at her undies, Daryl chuckled, she'd put those on purposely too. Ashley had been planning this. Sneaky woman had planned to seduce him. He was literally seconds away from blowing this woman's mind when their son's voice rang out from the house, completely destroying the moment.

"Momma...?" Milo yelled making his parents groan in frustration, he always did have perfect timing. Daryl reluctantly pulled himself away from his wife as he tugged her dress back down to a decent level, the boy was 5 years old, he didn't need to see his parent's getting frisky out in the yard. "You comin'?" He yelled lingering in the doorway, Daryl couldn't help but choke on a laugh at the double meaning behind the question. Ashley turned back and mock glared at him as she tried to hide her grin. Perfect timing.

_Daryl noticed way before any one else, even though he wasn't actually in the same room as his wife. She was sat around the table in the kitchen with her family as he hovered in the doorway with his back to them, he was exhausted not just physically but emotionally too, the families constant conversing and laughing and giddiness was a lot for him to take. __He felt an unusual twinge of pain in his lower back that he'd never felt before, it made him instantly turn to Ashley. She had stopped laughing. She had stopped talking to her family. Daryl slowly walked towards the young woman, crouching to her level on the chair. Daryl didn't have to ask his young wife if she was okay, the look of panic in her eyes gave it away. All most as much as her soaked dress. Perfect timing Milo._

"Yes, baby. I'll be there in a second." She called to her son trying feverishly to hide the squeak in her voice as Daryl grabbed her ass, it was going to leave a mark on her dress but with an ass like hers, who gave a shit? "You and I will finish what we started later." She whispered in his ear as she pushed a knee between his legs making him grunt and force his eyes closed to stop him from just throwing her in the truck and taking her, he wanted her bad. Ashley gently kissed her husband's stubbly cheek before walking back towards the house.

Daryl waited for her to reach the porch before yelling back to her. "Woman, why don'tcha make yerself useful, bring me a cigarette when ya done playin' house!" He knew that would rile his innocent country wife up enough to mean he was getting punished later. Daryl groaned in discomfort but did nothing about it as he hoisted himself up on to the bumper for a second to get a decent look at the engine.

It was at least ten minutes before Ashley arrived back outside with a packet of cigarettes, another glass of lemonade and an orange bottle he didn't recognise. He was covered in oil and dirt again by that time and could feel the back of his neck burning. He wiped his hands on his shirt again and gladly took the cold glass from his seemingly tamed wife, for a woman who ten minutes ago was ready to get it on with her filthy sweaty husband, she sure hid it well.

_Ashley watched Daryl with a bizarre fascination as they sat beside each other, shoulder-to-shoulder on the park's jungle gym, a cigarette between his lips pointed away from her. Summer was in full bloom and the park was usually swarming with kids but they'd seen Daryl arrive so none of them even stepped through the gates, she couldn't help but stare at him as he silently smoked the poorly rolled cigarette in his mouth. His hands had still been pretty shaky when he rolled that one, she liked watching his tongue dart out to lick the papers and then his deft fingers roll the item to the desired effect. Daryl looked like he was thinking hard about something. Ashley looked up at the boy's hair smiling at the dark tufts as they became blonder, the longer they spent sat out in the sun the lighter his hair was becoming, it made him look younger. A little more innocent._

_Ashley silently reached up to run her fingers through it, thanks to the sun, all the water left in it from his shower had dried up and left his hair unusually fluffy and lightweight. Daryl's brilliant blue eyes flashed towards her in a split second of panic but instantly calmed when he met her soothing green ones, that girl had a hold on him he'd never understand. One look from her could stop his fear, could make his heart race or it could shatter his world. He leaned his head back slightly against the wall of the gym to let her continue as he plucked the cigarette from his lips and blew out the smoke, she giggled a little seeing a small ring of smoke leave his mouth, he glanced back at her and weakly smirked._

_For a moment Daryl thought about what the girl's father said about him being bad for her, but his adolescent mind rebelled against him and held out the cigarette between his two fingers and thumb, he didn't want such an innocent girl like Ashley to pick up on his habits but he wanted to flip her father off at the same time. Ashley was hesitant to take it at first and looked up at the wordless teen expecting him to reassure her or tell her she didn't have to but he said nothing, he didn't push her to try it but he didn't push her not to try it either. He was a man of very few words._

_He expected her to choke and shove it back in his hand the exact way she did and couldn't help the chuckle as she coughed, Daryl watched her as she scowled in mock anger before bumping his shoulder, the boy responded by grabbing the side of her face and kissing her. The cigarette still between the fingers that possessively grabbed at her jaw as he pressed his mouth to hers at a slightly odd angle, it lasted for just a few seconds barely giving her any time to respond before he pulled away and the cigarette went back in to his mouth. He didn't expect her to straddle his crossed legs and kiss him the next time the cigarette came away. Ashley's hands landed either side of his face tilting it up to meet her lips as his hands snaked to the small of her back, she could taste the smoke as their mouths melded together in a not so innocent but not too fiery second kiss. Any where else it would not have been attractive but on Daryl, the smoke worked just fine, it suited him._

_Neither of them had any experience in this but considering Daryl's insecurities and fears she was shocked he let her have control of this kiss, he let her tongue softly line his bottom lip, Daryl let his lips part slightly to meet her. Ashley gently pushed her tongue in to his mouth as her heart raced erratically in her chest, he could probably feel it against his but they didn't let that stop them. The whole time Daryl held on to his cigarette as his hands wrapped around her back, only letting go of her when they stopped for air and he could take another drag, before going back to their previous activity._

"Fuckin' perfect." He whispered downing the lemonade in one and taking the cigarettes, he didn't ask what Ashley was doing as she wandered behind him with the bottle. He nearly dropped the cigarette straight out of his mouth when something cold hit his back. "Fuck is that, shit stinks." He cursed as she rubbed the drastically cold substance in to his skin careful to make sure his scars were coated.

Ashley tutted at his cussing but didn't chide him on it, as long as he didn't swear in front of Milo she didn't mind so much. "You're burnt pretty bad as it is. When I told every one I was marrying a redneck, I didn't realise it was literal." She replied making him flinch when she touched the back of his neck. Ashley worked more of it in to his shoulders and down his arms, she then turned him around as if he was a kid and covered his chest and stomach as silently watched her. Daryl's nose screwed up as a reaction to his wife wiping the white stuff on to his face, but as he looked down at her the unconscious fear of someone touching his face melted away, he trusted her with all his heart and knew she posed no threat to him.

Ashley's eyes sparkled with adoration and held his gaze as she rubbed the remainder of the sun cream on her hands, in to random parts of her loved ones body wanting to keep the domesticated redneck safe from the sun. "Now you get that truck fixed up and come on in for some supper, I'll run you a bath when were done while you tuck him in, sound good?" The woman whispered as she brushed Daryl's jaw with her thumbs, he smiled and silently nodded, he no longer felt the insane lust he had earlier. It was love. His wife took care of him better than any body else ever had and he loved her for that. Ashley had changed him for the better.

_They had been together as a couple since they were 17, so Ashley knew exactly when Daryl began to change, he was so angry at the world for everything. Sure it had given him a beautiful girlfriend, but it also gave him two drunk, abusive and neglectful parents as well as an alcoholic, violent, drug addict as a brother. When Ashley had asked him if he believed in God, that was why he said yes, because someone must have designed the perfect fucked up family he had. No way were they created by coincidence. _

_Daryl turned up at her parents door one night at the age of 19, he was due to turn 20 the next day, wrecked out of his mind. When Ashley's father opened the door she could hear Daryl's voice from her bedroom and rushed downstairs to see him, her father held her back at first as Daryl staggered on the doorstep holding the wall for stability, it was only when he leaned forward in to the light a little could Ashley see the fresh wounds all over his face. His eye was black and his jaw was bruised, both his lips were split in two different locations and the bottom was swollen slightly, there was blood dribbling down his forehead from his hair-line and the corner of his other eye was split._

_Ashley's parents assumed he had been in a fight at the bar with the local drunks, but she knew better, she squeezed past her father and wrapped her arms around the man. He tried to stay strong. Tried not to crack under the weight, but it was too much for him to deal with any more. Daryl fell to his knees on her doorstep at three o'clock in the morning and just sobbed, he only stopped when Hunter came down the stairs and stepped passed his parents to carry the drunken man upstairs. Ashley's parents didn't know anything about Daryl's family, but the Parks siblings did. After her parents found out about his abusive family they let him stay in their home whenever he wanted._

_They never yelled at him when he did something wrong. They never hit him when they caught him smoking in the house. They never tried to force him in to drugs. When he got mad and needed to break something Hunter took him out to the yard and smashed up old fence panels. When he broke down on the kitchen floor in front of guests after another drunken night Ashley's father would carry him to the sofa and let him sleep it off. When he got sick in the night Ashley would take care of him._

_Her family looked after him when he was at his worst. They were his family too. Their momma cried on Ashley's wedding day, she kissed his cheek and told him despite every thing he'd been through, he was a good man._

Daryl felt Ashley peck his lips before walking back to the house, he watched her leave and smiled a little seeing the oily hand print on the back of her dress. With the cigarette pressed firmly between his lips Daryl turned back to his truck with a new sense of determination, and as if by magic when he turned the key in the engine, it started up. He grinned in satisfaction and rubbed his chin as he finished his cigarette and flicked the end out on to the road. Daryl grabbed his shirt and the empty glass before heading to the house following his nose towards the kitchen.

"Could you call Milo please, I think he's hiding in his bedroom." Ashley asked as her husband placed his glass in the sink after scrubbing his hands and raided the fridge for three cans of soda, the cold blast of air from the dimly lit cool box was a welcome feeling. The cans hit the table and just as Daryl was about to retrieve his grumpy son the boy walked in the door, so instead Daryl sat down and nodded his chin telling the boy to come closer. When Milo was finally close enough, Daryl snatched him up and sat him on his lap.

There was a moment of silence as Daryl thoughtfully rubbed his chin. "Buddy, you still mad at me fer this mornin'?" He asked patiently knowing his son was as damn right honest as both his parents, Milo merely shrugged and stared down at his hands. "Ya know I'm real sorry fer not takin' ya to t' park, but I had'ta fix the truck. I gotta drive to work in the mornin'."

Milo glanced up at his father, Daryl didn't expect to see the boy's eyes filled with un-shed tears as he picked at his shirtsleeve. "You're always workin' Daddy, we don't play no more." Ashley silently listened to the conversation between her childhood sweetheart and their son, she admired the way Milo's accent was as strong as his father's despite spending little time with him and more time around her. She didn't have the same thick drawl as her boys, she was brought up to speak with what was considered a proper American accent.

Daryl nodded at his son in agreement. "I know, but I got t' work so ya can have nice things, so we can take care of t' baby. Buy food and stuff, Momma can't work wit'ta baby so I got t' do it."

"Why we got t' have another baby?" Milo said desperate to find a way to keep his father home with him more often. "If we don't get a baby then Momma can go t' work and you can stay home wit' me!" He said with a sudden smile like he'd found the answer, Daryl hated the thought of crushing the boys hope but he had to set Milo straight.

Daryl gently wrapped his arms around his first-born child and pulled him close to his chest. "We can't, not, have a baby now. I'm sorry. But you'll like havin' a baby brother or a sister t' play wit', they'll be more fun than me. Momma can take ya both t' the park and ya can show him t' frogs, teach him t' swing. I know it's hard fer ya t' understand but even when I can't play wit' ya, don't mean I don't love ya, it's jus' when yer a grown up ya got lotsa stuff t' do all t' time."

The man waited in silence to hear his son's response, it was hard for Milo to understand exactly why his father couldn't be around all the time but the boy was smart, he'd understand that Daryl still cared about him neither the less. "I love you too Daddy, I'm sorry I got mad." Milo whispered back as pressed himself in to Daryl's chest and hugged his waist. "Will you sit by my bed t'night?"

Daryl smiled lightly and kissed the top of Milo's head. "Only if ya tell me 'bout dem frogs." The redneck said looking over his shoulder to his wife as she prepared their food and smiled feeling a sense of pride in regards to his family, if he hadn't met her that day in the park he might never have been here. He could have been in prison by now, or drunk and high in some dark squalor with no wife, no kids just bitterness.

He didn't believe in religion, but if there was one thing he did believe it was that somebody gave him exactly what he needed to survive. A family. Love. Support. This was what he had always secretly wanted, so he was going to work his ass off to get it right. If his son wanted to spend more time with him then Daryl would find a way to get the extra time even if it meant looking for another job, getting a job was hard enough as it was. Being so far out-of-town meant a lot of travelling and the lack of high school qualifications didn't help his case, they'd ask him to sign for deliveries at work and he'd just stare at the paper trying to make sense of it, most of the time he didn't even know what he was looking at he'd just write sign 'D. Dixon' and take it.

One time the new guy laughed when Daryl asked one of the others to read a notice out to him, the same guy quit that day and left the warehouse with a black eye and a busted lip, the boss just chuckled and walked away. But it was nothing like the time one of the newbies tried to make a move on Ashley, the guy had been working in the warehouse for a few months and seemed decent enough.

_The couple had been in Atlanta and stopped at the warehouse in passing, it wasn't often he'd leave Ashley alone with a group of men but he trusted these boys to take care of her as he ran up to the bosses office on the walk way. He looked out the bosses window as they were talking and found himself admiring the way his beautiful wife was chatting with the new guy, Daryl couldn't remember the guys name it might have been Shane or something, he was more interested in the way his wife could always make friends wherever she went. And how fuckable she looked in that dress. Daryl never usually described his girl like that but she did, and he could not wait to get home so he could have his way with her and her tight little body._

_Daryl saw from a distance the way this Shane edged closer to her as they were talking and touched her arm, Ashley immediately brushed him off as casual as possible but he wasn't having any of it, he grabbed her elbow tightly and leaned in to whisper in her ear. The blonde turned away from the man and looked up to her husband in the window, her eyes silently pleading for Daryl to rescue her, Ashley panicked for a second when she couldn't see Daryl. But then the fingers released her elbow, she turned to the man and saw how her husband's hand wrapped around his throat and pinned Shane to the wall as he snarled. Ashley heard Daryl tell him to never lay a finger on his wife again, but when the man smirked and looked Ashley dead in the eye as he whispered the word whore Daryl lost it. _

_The same night Daryl took his wife home and made love to her in every room they had before taking her to bed to make love to her again. His girl was no whore, she might have been dirty, but she was no whore._

Daryl didn't want to look for a new job after working so hard to get where he was, but Ashley was going to need him at home more often to help her take care of their children, and he'd be damned if he was going to abandon his family just like his father did. He felt Milo wriggle in his arms and after another loving kiss, Daryl put the boy down so they could have dinner together. Milo seemed a lot happier than earlier that morning, he was talking about his day completely unaware that his parents were barely paying attention and instead were staring at each other, it didn't matter how long they had been together... he loved that woman more and more every day.

The man listened in silence to his son's constant stream of chatter only speaking up when the boy prompted him, he continued to listen to Milo as his wife stood by his side with her arms draped around Daryl's neck, Daryl's head leaning slightly on their baby. He could have stayed that way forever if it wasn't for the fact it was Milo's bedtime. With a deep groan Daryl got to his feet, having sat down for the first time since early that morning he was now feeling pretty exhausted and sent his son to bed, telling him he'd be there in a few minutes.

Like the true domesticated husband he had become Daryl carried their plates to the sink and cleared the table before going to his son's room, Milo sat in his favourite pyjamas on the bed waiting for his father. "Daddy?"

"Yeah?" Daryl replied absently while he lay his son down in bed and tucked the covers around him. He sat on the bed beside Milo and patiently waited for his question. He could not have been any more unprepared for Milo's question, the only thing that saved him from flailing was his quick-fire reactions.

"Where do babies come from?"

It took just a few seconds for Daryl to reply with a completely sober look on his face. "...Mars." Milo frowned at his father in confusion for a moment before actually considering the answer and nodding like it made sense, Daryl didn't understand kids at all, why did they always have to say things that made their parents uncomfortable. It was like they knew the answer to these questions were too inappropriate for them, so they just asked them anyway. "Now go to sleep." Daryl said gently rubbing the boy's back, Milo didn't go to sleep straight away, first he rambled a little about the frogs in the park and how much Daryl would like them before he nodded off.

He lightly kissed the little boy's face and stood up following the sound of running water, it wasn't the bath running but the shower. Daryl chuckled as he looked at the bathroom door and saw a figure in the mirror, that figure had one hell of a naked backside, pregnant or not. Without a word Daryl entered the bathroom and watched his wife as she stepped under the shower head, he could have stayed there for the rest of the night watching her hands stroke her entire body but when her hands touched her most intimate place, he couldn't hold off any longer.

Daryl kicked his boots off along with the rest of his clothes and stepped in the shower with her, running his hand down her arm to still her busy fingers. "Here darlin', why don'tcha lemme help ya wit' that." His rough voice whispered in his ear as they finished exactly what they'd started earlier that day.

_"I love you Daryl Dixon."_

_"Love ya too Ashley Parks."_


End file.
